James seeson



UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE..

JAMES SERSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES O. VHITTEN, OFSAME PLACE.

BATTERY-J AR.

SPECIFICATION forming part oi Letters Patent No. 389,532, datedSeptember 1I, 1888.

Application filed December 12, 1887. Serial No. 257,566. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES SERsoN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk,State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Battery-J ars, of which the following is a descriptionsufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in theart or science to which said invention appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis speoiiication, in which- Figure 1v is a vertical transverse sectionshowing a battery-jar provided with my improvement, and Figs. 2, 3, and4t sectional views showing modifications of the improvement.

Like lette: s and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts inthe different figures of the drawings. In galvanic batteries whichcontain free mercury for amalgamating the zinc the mercury is usuallyplaced in a trough disposed above the bottom of the jar, and in case thebattery is accidentally disturbed or partially overturned when in usethe mercury is liable to be spilled onto the bottom of the jar andthereby wasted or prevented from performing its functions properly. l

My present invention is designed to obviate this objection; and to thatend I make use of means which will be readily understood by allconversant with such matters from the following explanation.

In the drawings, A represents the outer or containing jar; B, the porousjar; O, the Zinc, and D the carbon, these parts being all of theordinary form and construction, lexcepting as hereinafter specified.

Formed in the upper side of the bottom f of the jar A there is anannular groove, E, for containing the free mercury ar, the lower end ofthe zinc O being inserted in said groove in Contact with the mercurywhen in use.

At each side of the groove E the bottom f of the jar is graduallyinclined downwardly, as shown at m, the inner ends of said inclinesterminating at the top of said groove and constituting a hopper orfunnel for catching and returning the free mercury to the groove whenthe same is accidentally spilled. The walls of the groove E arepreferably vertical; but they may be inclined at any suitable angle;and, if desired, the inclines m may be so constructed as to terminate atthe bottom instead of at the top of said groove, thereby substantiallyserving as its walls. The zinc shown in Fig. 1 is tubular, and hencerequires au annular groove, E, for its reception; but when the zinc isround, flat, or square in cross-section of course the receptacle formercury in the bottom of the jar should correspond therewith.

In Figs. 2, 3, and 4 a flat zinc, or one which is rectangular incross-section, is shown, the receptacleE in the bottom f beingconstructed to correspond therewith and provided with inclines m at itssides and ends, as best seen in Fig. a.

The inclines m may stand at any desired angle to the plane of the bottomf, and when the groove or receptacle E is annular, as shown in Fig. 1,the inner inclines may extend to the center of the jar and the outerinclines to the side walls of the same, so that when the mercury isspilled onto any part of the bottom it will find its way into saidreceptacle.

When the receptacle is round, square, rectangular, or any similar shape,the inclines may be extended to the outer walls of the jar on all sidesthereof.

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is l. A battery-jarprovided with a groove or receptacle in its bottom" for the reception offree mercury, the bottom of the jar adjacent to said groove orreceptacle being inclined downward toward the same for the purpose ofcatching the mercury when accidentally spilled and conducting it backinto the groove or receptacle, substantially as described.

2. In a battery-jar, the bottom f, provided with the groove orreceptacle E and inclines m, the walls of said groove standing at anangle to said inclines, substantially as described. 3. A battery-jar thebottom of which is provided with a groove extending around said bottomfor the reception of free mercury, and with.. inclined faces extendingdownward in opposite directions to said groove on both sides thereof,forming a hopper for catching the mercury when accidentally spilled outof said groove and conducting it back thereto, substantially asdescribed.

J AMES SERSON. Witnesses:

C. A. SHAW, O. M. SHAW.

ICO

